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Qualified to Love: I (Don’t) Love You Because . . .

And the LORD said [to Samuel], “Arise, anoint [David]; for this is the one!” 1 Samuel 16:12b

In 1995, King Oyo ascended to the throne of the Toro Kingdom in Uganda; he was three years old. In 1908, Puyi became emperor of China when he was two years old. In 1422, Henry VI became king of England at eight months, and also king of France two months later. And there have been many more child monarchs. What qualifications did these children have? They had the right genes!

In other words, they had done nothing to demonstrate their ability to rule. The same could be true when David, as a young teen, was anointed to be king of Israel. He was the youngest child in his family, whose job was tending the sheep. Yet God said to Samuel, “This is the one!” God didn’t say, “I have set my love on David because he will be a perfect king.” Instead, “I am choosing to love him for My purposes.” To be sure, God disciplined David severely during his life for his sins, but He never stopped loving him (2 Samuel 12). In fact, God’s discipline was a demonstration of His for him (Hebrews 12:4-6).

God doesn’t love you because you are perfect—or try to be or want to be. He loves you because He chose you to be His child (Ephesians 1:3-14).

God’s love is a free love, having no motive or foundation but within itself. Thomas Brooks